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Opinions? Ipad pro vs. Surface pro
8 years ago
Hello everyone!
So as some of you may know, I have been having on and off shoulder problems for awhile now due to drawing over the years. I have been to physical therapy as well as taking a major break from art for a couple months now, I have only been doing bust sketches and headshots every once in awhile. I really miss doing full rendered works as well as taking on bigger commissions and ychs.
The physical therapist said I still have great motion in my shoulders, nothing too serious yet, but how I describe my pain are very early signs of shoulder tendonitis. If I am not careful, things could lead up to that.
So for one thing, drawing on my Cintiq alternative (Huion Gt-220 21.5") is what really causes the pain. I have tried different angles, buying an arm stand so I can stand up and draw, but the pain remains. I am looking into getting something light and much smaller to do my sketching and inkwork since that is the most painful repetitive movements for me. I am thinking of something smaller like the ipad pro or surface pro that will allow me to atleast leave the desktop work environment and hopefully let me be in a more relaxed position to draw.
TLDR; do you guys have any opinions on an Ipad pro vs. Surface pro (3 or 4). I am mainly looking to only sketch and do inkwork then transfer to my desktop most likely. I am well aware one is a tablet vs a "laptop" and one has apps vs all other programs. I am leaning towards iPad because from reviews so far the pen is much more precise which is going to be one of the most important factors to me. What do you guys think?
So as some of you may know, I have been having on and off shoulder problems for awhile now due to drawing over the years. I have been to physical therapy as well as taking a major break from art for a couple months now, I have only been doing bust sketches and headshots every once in awhile. I really miss doing full rendered works as well as taking on bigger commissions and ychs.
The physical therapist said I still have great motion in my shoulders, nothing too serious yet, but how I describe my pain are very early signs of shoulder tendonitis. If I am not careful, things could lead up to that.
So for one thing, drawing on my Cintiq alternative (Huion Gt-220 21.5") is what really causes the pain. I have tried different angles, buying an arm stand so I can stand up and draw, but the pain remains. I am looking into getting something light and much smaller to do my sketching and inkwork since that is the most painful repetitive movements for me. I am thinking of something smaller like the ipad pro or surface pro that will allow me to atleast leave the desktop work environment and hopefully let me be in a more relaxed position to draw.
TLDR; do you guys have any opinions on an Ipad pro vs. Surface pro (3 or 4). I am mainly looking to only sketch and do inkwork then transfer to my desktop most likely. I am well aware one is a tablet vs a "laptop" and one has apps vs all other programs. I am leaning towards iPad because from reviews so far the pen is much more precise which is going to be one of the most important factors to me. What do you guys think?
I sadly can't state an opinion about the surface pro so I only can lend you my opinion (with his opinion combined) for the iPad Pro.
Good luck that your pain will fade! :)
Best of luck with your decision and I hope whatever you choose helps you with your shoulder pain.
http://procreate.art/
If it also helps, ive had a SP4 for almost 2 years, its slowly been degrading, but ive also been using strictly it for all my work, 7+ hours almost every day. Its worked well for art though, it only took me a few days to adjust from normally working with a cintiq. If you'll be using it for only part of your full works, I imagine it'll last longer & better for you than it has for me. Warning, it can be finicky with paint too sai, but it does work!
Make sure when you get an ipad to get a matte screen protector or the paperlike screen protector because pen on the glass is super slippery and difficult to work with!
So sketching and painting is a dream! The pen is super precise and everything is fast and easy in general! But the lineart could post to be sort of a problem? But that's my two cents! And it could just be me struggling with line art;;
I'll be honest, there were times I would get annoyed with it that I would just plug in my tablet and work using that, since it had USB ports for it. I heard the later models were better, but just thought I'd let you know about the 3 model, since it might be enticing at the price points they are now. I have heard better things regarding the 4 model. Also the surface can run Photoshop and Sai, while the Ipad cannot.
As for the line work and sketching... it's hit and miss. The pen jitters a lot and will randomly jump around the screen if it detects your palm on the glass. I found wearing a glove or smudge guard helps with this, but I can't get my lines as smooth and tapered as I'd like.
I have similar arm pain from drawing, by the way, and the tablet didn't really alleviate that (since you still had to press down with the pen for it to register since the surface and Ipad aren't really designed to be like cintiqs and the glass is thicker). I'm not sure that there really is a work around for arm issues other than just stretching and making sure to take breaks every hour when drawing. that honestly has been the best thing for me when I draw too much.
I originally just bought the surface as a way to have a portable setup, but in the end I didn't end up liking it enough to keep it and ending up selling it.
I would actually ask a friend who might have one or go to a mall that has the ipad pro and surface pro 4 to see what you think before purchasing it and actually get your hands on the pen. I found the tight working area actually cramped my arm more since I couldn't move my arm in natural positions. This is just my opinion, though! It might work for you but it's something you would have to try.
If you have ever watched Keinan Lafferty's youtube videos and tutorials, he suffered much the same thing with a cintiq and actually switched back to using a wacom tablet and hasn't had arm problems since due to having better posture. Maybe switching back to a tablet for that stuff would be better for you than dropping a couple hundred on a tablet that may or may not work for you and maybe give that a try first especially if you have an old tablet laying around.
To get around my own arm problems with the cintiq I actually draw on it like an artist easel in a very upright position but some of my friends have had trouble drawing like that. I just sort of conditioned myself with that and it worked for me with a lot less arm pain than at an angle.
Hope this helps and hope your arm/shoulder pain goes away! Ice is also really good for bringing down the inflammation and I use it as a quick fix for when I have to push through a drawing with a deadline. Good luck and hope you find something that works for you!
I've got arm/wrist pain as well so it's especially good to hear what effect that has, what I've gathered from this is that it's less so the tools you use that affect your arm/wrist, more so having an ergonomic workspace and practicing healthy posture. (I use a normal wacom tablet currently and it doesn't help my arm very much, but I think that's mostly because I have an awful desk for this sort of stuff, so that is probably what I should invest in.)
Many of the, especially video, suites for Windows need a lot more RAM than the surface can offer.
The software for the iPad is, however, optimized for the iPad, so everything available will work smoothly.
In a way it's a trade-off:
With a Surface Pro you get the flexibility of a laptop - albeit a mediocre if not outright weak one.
The iPad is a bit more limited in regards to available software, but what is available, will work 100%.
I also suggest the surface; I've heard many good things about it, but i am quite bias ^-^"
I work for an IT company and we sell Surfaces to clients only if the client insists on it, which still translates to about 50 units total between gen 1, 2 and 3 (haven't sold any Pro 4's, but from what I heard they're no better in terms of hardware quality). About half of them got back for a warranty repair within first year, and MS hardware warranty is "return-to-base" which means you're without the unit for at least a couple of weeks.
Alternative to Surface could also be HP Elite 360 laptops. They are very good in terms of hardware (two or three warranty calls between same 50-or-so units) and it's next-day onsite warranty (an engineer will come out to replace a faulty part). Unfortunately I can't say anything about its pen.
I mostly use Clipstudio and 123dDesign for 3dprint modeling so I'm having to lean towards using a 2-1 laptop.
Like this nice laptop. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LGBD0Y.....=2HPQF769DO74G
I use an android 7" phablet for draft sketches ( like https://www.furaffinity.net/view/15485503/ or https://www.furaffinity.net/view/15423935/ ) and dump the files later on using "total commander" to my NAS box.
And from there I can grab it with every other device for postprocessing.
Admittedly I've never used an iPad, but I never felt like I needed or wanted to after enjoying working with my SP4.
The thing I don't liked about the iPad pro was the software, the only good app I found for drawing was Procreate which is really good, but let's face it, can't be compared to a full Photoshop for example.
PD: Also sorry for my odd english x)
I took her to the Microsoft Store and Apple Store nearby and before what wouldve been a clear winner for the iPad, now not so much since the new Pro i5 is fanless and the updated pen with 2048 pressure as opposed to 1024 is much, much better.
So now I don't know either lol, a few people in our circle use the iPad more than the Surface but I wish someone would just tell me objectively which is better lol Really more than anything the fact that the education discount is much greater on the surface as well as I can load Sai on for her is a bonus but Ive heard the quality of iPad can't be beat
So we're in the same boat as you ;u;
Though I imagine neither will trump the other so long as they both work. However about your shoulder. I have been making use of a recliner to draw at instead of leaning over at my desk. I usually have one knee up to prop my Surface up in portrait mode. I find if I have something to keep my foot from sliding down and or rest my legs on, like a make shift foot rest, I can easily find myself leaning back at 120 degrees or so comfortably sketching. I have a small plush toy that I use to help prop my elbow up. If you want to try that to see if it's of any use try grabbing a clipboard and some cheap paper. Couldn't hurt I guess..
On the desktop subject, I wonder if something like this might help you: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B.....UTF8&psc=1 It's an arm support system. I wanted to mention it since a lot of people are probably not aware things like this exist which could potentially help with the strain as well on your wrist and shoulders
Using special styluses, the Surface Pro is basically a wacom tablet by functionality ( angle of attack and pressure ).
The iPad - here I am not entirely sure - should have the same capabilities.
On the Surface you can use standard Microsoft Windows compatible programs.
On the iPad you have the massive library of the, still heavily artsy, Apple software market.
Customer service wise it seems as if Apple performs better than Microsoft. In Germany that is a fact for sure.
Long-Term support for the device and OS was traditionally better on the Apple platform. With Windows 10 that may have equalled out.
Overall:
When you already have your preferred software, and it is compatible with one of the devices, go for that one.
When you have to get new software anyway, check what else you want to do with the device.
For a Windows PC, the Surface Pro are, performance wise ( Ram, HDD speed and capacity, graphics power ), in the range of a weak laptop or good netbook.
The iPad is... An iPad. All its software is optimized for it, so with its software it performs smoothly. "Like a Desktop".
The iPad Pro is an iPad, which means everything it runs was specifically designed for it and you'll have a much smoother experience, but fewer choices.
Personally I'd go with the iPad, unless there's a specific program you need to work that's not available for it.
I can absolutely testify to the fact that your chair matter, got a similar brand to DXRacer at home and not only helps it with my back, but with my shoulders.
What i have done, seeing as it affect both gaming and drawing, is anchoring my elbow on the armrest and use my wrist more. Seeing as many artists use the shoulder to more easily get nice flowing and consistent line, this might help you. Granted, I don't draw for hours on end, so this may vary for you.
If it becomes permanent, there is surgery that may fix it and also exercises that can help your shoulder withstand more and also maybe make it hurt less.
Hope this helps
Good Luck!